Newhouse Joins DACA Advocates on Capitol Hill to Urge Legislative Solution
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) participated in a Capitol Hill press conference with Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) and advocates including LIBRE, Americans for Prosperity, National Immigration Forum, FWD.US, and Dreamers to urge that Congress act on a bipartisan legislative solution for beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that can get 218 votes in the House, 60 votes in the Senate, and the President's signature into law.
Transcript of Rep. Newhouse's remarks:
Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for being here, thank you for lending your presence on such an important issue. I'm proud to stand with the people in this country who deserve – finally – a solution to such an important problem that they face.
DACA individuals in this country are truly a huge asset to the United States of America, and I can tell you with certainty. I have sat down with many of them personally. In fact, out of the seventeen-plus thousand in the state of Washington, more than a third of those are in my congressional district. I have met with many of them and know firsthand exactly what you're saying, Daniel [Garza of LIBRE]: that they truly have a tremendous amount to offer our country, and they want to be able to do that.
It's time for us to be able to come together in a bipartisan way and find that solution that is really right in front of us. In fact, I believe that today we should be on the verge of signing important legislation with that DACA solution. That should be what we are discussing right now in these budget negotiations that are happening and that I hope we can pass this week. I think it truly is a missed opportunity to finally put this issue behind us and bring a positive solution to thousands of people throughout this country.
I'm glad you're here. I think your presence and your personal stories – that's what's going to make this happen. So thank you for sticking your necks out and being at the forefront of this struggle. I think we're almost there, but with your help, we will get there. With your message to everybody in Congress, I think that we're going to be successful here very, very soon. So let's keep the pressure on, keep the fight going, and then we can celebrate a success here very, very soon.
It is my huge honor to be able to introduce to you one of my favorite colleagues, Mr. Will Hurd, that represents a beautiful part of the United States, the southern part of Texas. My classmate in the 114th Congress, Mr. Will Hurd, my friend.